Asia

For the past 4 months, I have barely put on make up, or done anything with my hair. My wardrobe has consisted on a few pairs of shorts, leggings or long pants and a few tops. Travelling has made me care less about my appearance, and become less attached to stuff. I still do not own a hair dryer, and now that I am back in the UK, I have about 4 different outfits for...

Surviving a motorbike accident – part two The Vietnamese hospital experience After being thrown from a motorbike in rural Vietnam, and being kindly helped out by friendly local people and some nuns at the local medical clinic, I finally went back to my hostel to rest. Prior to going out for dinner with a traveller friend Gerry, I cancelled my easy rider tour...

Surviving a motorbike accident in Vietnam, part 1 Accidents can happen anywhere. As a child, I was very accident prone. On my third birthday I landed myself in the emergency department, getting stitches in my chin, after jumping from my bed and whacking my face off the windowsill. I had frequent hospital admissions for...

After a few lovely, and sunny days in the coastal town of Mui Ne, I realised that I was still so far south, and had to make it up to Hanoi in 2 weeks, to fly to Bangkok to meet my sister. With still so much to see, I decided that I needed to move north to Hoi An. There are various ways to get to Hoi An from Mui Ne – fly or get a train from Nha Trang to...

Despite living within an acceptable travelling distance from the Sahara Dessert for most of my life, I have never actually visited the desert, not even in Australia, when I lived in New Zealand . When I got to Vietnam from Cambodia, I had read up a little on Mui Ne, and also had some recommendations to visit the sand dunes there. Sand dunes don’t sound too...

Can Tho, on the Mekong Delta was my introduction to what would be a crazy and diverse three weeks in Vietnam. After crossing the border from Kampot in Cambodia, I decided to spend two days lazing in and around the Mekong Delta. Although there are some amazing home stays that can be done on the Mekong Delta, and many of these are taken up by people who make two...

As with most of my decisions when I am travelling, my journey from Cambodia to Vietnam was booked just one day in advance. You can reach Vietnam from Cambodia through various border crossings. Many choose to leave from Phnom Penh, and get into Hoh Chi Minh City (HCMC). I did eventually want to get to HCMC, but after some extensive research (The Lonely Planet), and...

Whilst in Sihanoukville getting my visa for Vietnam, I had to toss-up between getting a ferry to the beautiful islands of Koh Rong, or heading further towards the Vietnamese border, and stopping in Kampot. It had rained for two days solid on the islands, and so I decided to move on, which would have allowed me to have a full three weeks in Vietnam, a good decision in...

One thing I like to try and do, prior to visiting a new country, is read up on its history. To find out where it has come from, and what its people have gone through. Cambodia, as a country hasn’t had it easy. It has been through 4 wars. It is one of the poorest countries in the World, with many of its people living on less than $2 per day. It also has a high...

Battambang (pronounced Battambong by locals), not to be confused with the British cake Battenberg (yes, I constantly have food on my mind!) is located three hours South of the travellers hub of Siem Reap, however the bus will take much longer to reach the city, as is often the case in South East Asia. It is often an unexplored area, and many people skip through it in...